Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal get big win over Orange 70-61; Raynaud leads the way with 21 points

Syracuse Orange Jaquan Carlos (left) drives on the Stanford Cardinal Benny Gealer (right) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 29, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:.

#1 Stanford Cardinal (15-6) Maxime Raynaud scored 21 points and had 15 rebounds with his national leading 17th double double. Stanford had a 17-0 run to open the game on Wednesday night against the Syracuse Orange (9-12) 70-61.

#2 Syracuse failed to convert it’s first seven shots. Raynaud hit two 3 pointers and scored eight points. As Stanford had the 17-0 lead. The Cardinal were up 25-2 but the Orange came right back with a 12-1 run and also closed the gap by seven points twice with a 33-24 Stanford lead at the half.

#3 Midway in the first half the Cardinal scored four three pointers more than Syracuse had two baskets. The Orange shot 8 for 15 in the last ten minutes of the first half. The Cardinal went three for 13.

#4 Raynaud had a double double before the first half was over. Raynaud had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first half.

#5 The Cardinal visit the SMU Mustangs in Dallas on Sat Feb 1 for a 3:00pm PST tip. SMU are in fourth place and are 12-3 at home. Stanford is 3-3 on the road so far this season. How do you see this match up.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Squeezed the Orange 70-61, on a late Wednesday Night inside Maples

Stanford Cardinal guard Ryan Agarwal (center) is all smiles as the Cardinal defeated guard Lucas Taylor (3) and the Syracuse Orange at Maples Pavilion on Wed Jan 29, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (15-6, 7-3 ACC) Peeled the Syracuse Orange (9-12, 3-7 ACC) 70-61 all around the Farm, and remained unbeaten at home (Maples) and the Bay (Haas) in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

ACC Player of the Week, Maxime Raynaud started the bi-coastal contest with his own personal 5-0 run. He hit a shot clock buzzer-beating 3-pointer, then scored another bucket shortly thereafter. The Cardinal added 12 consecutive more points, to perform a 17-0 run, before Syracuse could even affect the scoreboard.

After a 7:35 scoring drought by the visitors from the Empire State, they finally got into the scoring column on a layup by senior guard Jaquan Carlos. Even after getting off the “Goose Egg,” they trailed by as much as 23 points midway through the first half.

From that point on, Syracuse went on a 22-8 run by intermission. During that push, the Orange cut the deficit to seven twice, and trailed by nine after 20 minutes of action, 33-24.

Raynaud was the only player in double-figures at the half. He compiled a double-double, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

In the second half, the Cardinal put the lead pack in double-digits right away, on an Oziyah Sellers Trey. However, Syracuse relentlessly showed they still had juice inside of them and continued to cut into the Cardinal’s impressive lead.

Syracuse was able to get within six , but no closer than that because Stanford turned up the defense and recovered crucial and timely rebounds. The Oranged ended the game with five more turnovers than their counterpart, and gave up 10 more points than they were able to score off of Stanford’s miscues.

All other statistics were close, but the 10 point difference in turnover was the difference, as the extra 5 were converted to two points each. Winning by nine, 70-61, was a direct result of that margin of victory.

Raynaud improved on his halftime double-double, by garnering a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jaylen Blakes joined him with 14 points and 6 rebounds, while both Oziyah Sellers and Benny Gealer offered 10 points apiece.

Jaquan Carlos led the way for the Orange with 16 points, and his teammate Eddie Lampkin chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Stanford will next be in action in Dallas, TX, Saturday, February 1, as they take on the Southern Methodist Mustangs 5:00 PM CT, on the ACC Network. Syracuse crosses the Bay on the same date to take on the California Golden Bears 7:00 PM PT, on ESPN2. The aforementioned Carlos led the Orange with 7 points and 3 assists.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host the Orange Wednesday night at Maples

Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) takes a jump shot over the Florida State Seminoles guard Bostyn Holt (3) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 It was a hard fought effort by the Stanford Cardinal (14-6) against the Florida State Seminoles (13-7) as the Cardinal came away with a seven point win over the Seminoles 78-71.

# 2 The Cardinal have now won 11 of their last 12 games at home and this season is the first time the Cardinal have gone 11-1 in their first 12 games since the 2020 season. Against the ACC teams the Cardinal are 4-0 for a perfect home record.

#3 Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers led with 27 points and shot 10-16 from the field and was four for six outside the three point line. Benny Gealer and Jaylen Blakes both in double figures and scored 13 points each. Maxime Raynaud had eight point and grabbed a season high of 14 rebounds.

#4 Stanford’s Ryan Agarwal scored the first five points of Saturday. Stanford led early in the game 18-10 and Agarwal had a 7-0 run from Sellers in the middle of the first quarter. Sellers also was hitting the three pointers with three 3 pointers in the first 20 minutes. Chisom Okpara hit a shot from behind the arc with 20 seconds half heading into the half.

#5 The Cardinal face the Syracuse Orange (9-11) on Wed Jan 29th. The Orange lost their last game 77-73 to Pittsburgh Panthers (13-6) 77-73. The Orange are 12th in the ACC. The Orange have lost their last two games. The Cardinal have the home floor and a three game win streak going into this game against the Orange on Wed Jan 29 at 8:00pm.

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rough And Tumble: Cal Women Survive Stanford’s Late Rally, Win 75-72

By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–For 35 minutes, the Cal women were themselves, offensive savants taking advantage of whatever the Stanford defense provided, which at times was a lot.

The other five minutes, littered with rough fouls, a technical foul out of nowhere, and a significant injury, spoke to a hard fought contest that Stanford was reluctant to relinquish. It was those five minutes that almost sent Cal home with an unlikely loss.

But Cal’s experienced leadership, principally graduates Ioanna Krimili and Kayla Williams, made the plays down the stretch in Cal’s milestone 75-72 win.

The win gave Cal a historic sweep of Stanford, 39 years after the last occurrence in 1986, the first season of Tara VanDerveer’s 38 years on the Farm in the long disposed Pac West Conference.

Smith, who went 0 for 11 against VanDerveer, her college coach, who subsequently suggested that Smith take up coaching, acknowledged the moment and its significance for Cal.

“This is special for me,” Smith said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be 18 threes like it was at Haas. But to be able to hold on and fight through a number of mistakes and adversity to get the win, I’m just really proud of this team.”

Cal made 17 of their first 20 two-point shot attempts and built a 53-37 lead and quieted Maples Pavilion without relying on 3-point shooting. But the deficit didn’t break the hosts’ resolve. Instead, Coach Kate Paye continued to change her personnel in hopes of a defensive stand. That finally happened in a stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters that saw Stanford outscore Cal 16-2 and make it a game.

“We forced some turnovers, and that really got us going,” Paye said.

Down the stretch, the play grew more physical as Michelle Onyiah, Cal’s center, and reserve Jayda Noble were thrown to the floor. Noble got tangled with Stanford’s Shay Ijiwoye and had to be helped off the court as a leg injury prevented her from walking on her own. After a video review, Ijiwoye received an intentional foul resulting in free throws for Cal and possession of the ball.

“They called an intentional foul. I watched it. I didn’t agree with the call at all. That was a game changer,” Paye said of the critical exchange with 2:40 remaining and Stanford trailing 66-64.

Krimili, shooting in place of the injured Noble, converted both free throws. Williams was fouled on the ensuing possession and made one of two free throws to put Cal up by five.

Nunu Agara, who had 19 points for the hosts, hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to get Stanford within 73-71 with 49 seconds remaining. But Cal held on as Krimili and Williams came up with a trio of baskets on drives into the paint to preserve the win.

“We knew the game was going to bring adversity. In those moments, we were telling ourselves,“‘we’re good, we’re going to get through this,'” Williams said.

Cal improved to 18-3 with the win, and that has them in a group of 6-2 teams with North Carolina and Louisville, tied for fourth in the ACC standings behind Duke and North Carolina State with one loss and 8-0 Notre Dame.

The Bears have the weekend free ahead of home games against the Tar Heels and Pittsburgh next week.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host Hurricanes Saturday night at Maples Pavilion

Stanford Cardinal forward Donavon Young (2) takes a jump shot against the Miami Hurricanes at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael:

#1 Stanford Cardinal didn’t give an inch defeating the Miami Hurricane 88-51 on Wednesday night to improve their record to 13-6. The Cardinal are 5-3 and Stanford has an outstanding home record at 10-1.

#2 The Cardinal are 10-1 for the first time since 2019-20. Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud has a nation leading 16th double-double for this season. Raynaud scored 28 points, went 10-17 and 4-6 from behind the three point line, with 12 rebounds.

#3 Raynaud past Hank Luisetti who played on the 1938 Cardinal and is 25th on Stanford’s all time scoring list. Raynaud also moves past Josh Huestit class of 1914 for eighth on the all time rebounds list.

#4 Raynaud’s outing marked his 12th 20-point game of the season.

#5 The Florida State Seminoles are next up for the Stanford Cardinal on Sat Jan 25 a 4:00pm PST tip. The Seminoles lost to the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday night 88-51. The Seminoles 13-6 are sixth in the ACC and are 3-3 on the road.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Stave off Hurricanes 88-51, on a Chilly Late Night on the Farm

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) drives the ball against the Miami Hurricanes Lynn Kidd center (1) at Haas Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Bay Area weather was calm and cool , as the Stanford Cardinal (13-6, 5-3 ACC) reduced the Miami Hurricanes (4-15, 0-8 ACC) to a Category 1,(88-51) inside the cozy confines of Maples Pavilion.

Miami actually got the party started, by scoring the first point of the conference contest. Senior forward Brandon Johnson converted one of two free throws, giving them their only lead. Stanford went on an avalanche of a run (7-0), then proceeded to double that push minutes later.

Stanford got the lead up to as high as 23 points in the initial half. However, the Hurricanes did produce some heavy winds, as they slightly cut into the large deficit, trailing by 13 late in the half. Junior guard Oziyah Sellers hit a three with less than a minute until recess.

The Cardinal held a 16-point lead at halftime, 37-21. Balanced scoring for the Cardinal, as only one player eclipsed the ten-point plateau. Sellers reached 10 points on his last basket of the half. Maxime Raynaud added nine points and snagged eight rebounds.

Senior center Lynn Kidd led the Canes with eight points and five rebounds. Miami seemed to feel they were still in the game at the midway point.

Miami opened the second half as if they were going to make a comeback. They made an immediate 5-0 run, putting themselves within 11 points of the Cardinal lead..Senior guard Matthew Cleveland made those points on a three-pointer and layup.

Raynaud decided that he was going to end the Hurricane comeback, and went on a personal run of his own. as he added 19 points to his first half tally and snatched four more rebounds to his total.

As the final half of the game progressed, Stanford ballooned the gap to a whopping 39 points with less than five minutes of regulation time on the clock.Miami did score nine more points in the the second half, than in the first, but unfortunately for them, the home team added 14 to their already 16-point advantage.

After 40 minutes of action, the Cardinal kept their perfect home conference record (3-0) intact, winning by 37 points, 88-51. Technically,they are undefeated in the entire Bay Area, as they won an ACC road game in Berkeley, at the beginning of conference play.

Stanford presented five players with at least ten points in the game. Raynaud led the way with another double-double, offering 28 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Both Jaylen Blakes and Chisom Okpara contributed 12 points and two assists each, but JB also stole the ball thrice. The aforementioned Sellers remained at ten points of production, while Ryan Agarwal scored 11 points and captured five carrums.

Miami had two players with double-digit scoring. Matthew Cleveland put up a team-leading 23 points, while Lynn Kidd chipped in ten points and seven rebounds for the South Florida visitors.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, January 25, hosting Florida State at 4:00 PM PT, on the ACC Network. Miami heads across the Bay to Berkeley on the same date to face California at 5:30 PM PT, on ESPNU.

Blakes’ Big Shot Gives Stanford 72-71 Win, Their First Ever Over North Carolina

By Morris Phillips

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.–When you’re new in town, you need a guy that knows the lay, the ins, and outs. When that guy turns out to be the guy, you’ve got something special.

Jaylen Blakes was that guy, and Stanford, that team to successfully navigate the Dean E. Smith Center Saturday afternoon and escape with a 72-71 win that materialized with less than two seconds remaining. Blakes’ full court rush in the final seconds concluded with a pull-up, and short jumper gave Stanford their first-ever win over the Tar Heels after 13 losses.

“We took our foot off the gas a little bit. Our attention to detail wasn’t there, and that allowed Stanford to get into a rhythm and make their run,” UNC guard RJ Davis said.

“Little things lead to big things happening. And I felt like those little mistakes led to big things happening today in result of a loss,” coach Hubert Davis concluded.

For the always front running Tar Heels contingent, the loss wasn’t easy to explain. It wasn’t easy to take either. North Carolina’s six losses coming in were to contending teams. Stanford’s not that, but they could be if they compete as intently as they did against UNC.  Clearly, the Heels didn’t play poorly, but they were made to pay for their late mistakes.

For Stanford, Blakes was the main guy. A transfer from Duke, who played 83 games for the Blue Devils, but sparingly with just 60 total field goals made, has found his stride at Stanford. Against UNC, Blakes scored as many as 20 points for just the third time in his career, all three this season. The senior guard with a Duke degree led the Cardinal from the opening tip, being animated and solely responsible, the logical leadup to his game-winning shot. His celebration after the play that stunned 21,500 spectators was theatre as well.

“I was just talking to myself a little bit, but I happened to look at the crowd,” Blakes said. “I was overjoyed.”

Maxime Raynaud and three other starters were also full of belief. All five starters played at least 34 minutes and took all but one of the visitors’ shot attempts. Raynaud led all scorers with 25 points, but he was inefficient, and another missed shot–he missed 16–could have reversed the outcome.

Oziyah Sellers and Donavin Young provided high accuracy shooting and combined to get heralded UNC freshman Ian Jackson stopped. Jackson was 1 of 8 shooting for six points, after he had 18 or more in seven consecutive games.

Davis led UNC with 19 points. Ven-Allen Lubin added 13, and Elliot Cadeau had 12.

Stanford is 4-3 in the ACC and one of eight teams that have a winning conference record. The Cardinal has 12 scheduled games remaining, 10 of those against ACC teams with a losing conference record. They host Miami on Wednesday at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford loses control of game late to Wake Forest

Stanford Cardinal forward from left to right forward Maxime Raynaud (42), guard Jaylen Blakes (21), guard Oziyah Sellers (4) are out on the floor to battle the Wake Forest Deacon Demons at the LVJM Coliseum in Winston-Salem North Carolina on Wed Jan 15, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal opened up their second road trip in ACC competition against the Wake Forest Deacon Deamons at Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum with a 80-67 loss. The Cardinal now drop their record to 11-6 and are 3-3 in the ACC.

#2 Oziyah Sellers led Stanford in scoring with 16 points and Jaylen Blakes scored 15 points, seven assists. The Cardinal Maxime Raynaud and Ryan Agarwal had 14 points each. Raynaud was able to rebound 11 times and is first in the NCAA with double doubles.

#3 What a year Raynaud is having he now has 1265 in career points which moves him up on the list surpassing Don Griffin of 1969 and Anthony Goods of 2009. Raynaud tied Chris Hernandez of 2006 tying him for 29th on the all time Stanford list.

#4 The Cardinal are now 1-1 against the Deacon Demons in their second meeting in school history. The last time they met in 1997 Stanford defeated Wake Forest in their first ever meeting.

#5 Stanford now heads to UNC to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC is 12-6 and are coming off a win over the Cal Bears on Wednesday night 79-53. UNC is on a four game win streak and tip off against Stanford Sat Jan 18 at 11:15 am PST. Michael how do you see this game?

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal get first ACC sweep in defeating Virginia

The Stanford Cardinal and Virginia Cavaliers battled it out under the rim all day long at Maples Pavilion as the Cardinal came away with a 88-65 win on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Big night for the Cardinal Maxime Raynaud who chalked up his 13th double double, Raynaud is first in the NCAA Division I in double doubles.

#2 The Cardinal picked up their 11th win of the season over the visiting Virginia Cavaliers 88-65 on Saturday. The win today marks the first ACC sweep for the Cardinal as they defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday and got a win over the Cavaliers on Saturday.

#3 Michael, with Raynaud he knew what to do when he got the ball and wound up leading the Cardinal in scoring with 24 points he was able to grab four rebounds.

#4 Michael, talk a little about the job that Oziyah Sellers did finishing in double figures with 15 points and two rebounds and finishing second in scoring.

#5 It’s off to Wake Forest to face the Demon Deacons. The Deacons are 12-4 and on a three game losing streak. Fourth in the ACC. The Cardinal tip off with Wake Forest Wed Jan 15th for a 3:30pm PST tip off.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Shalantly defeated the Cavaliers 88-65; Sweeping the Commonwealth of VA. on the Farm

Stanford Cardinal forward Jaylen Thompson (24) drives on the Virginia Cavaliers forward JT Power (23) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (11-5, 3-2 ACC) beat the Virginia Cavaliers (8-8, 1-4 ACC) 88-65, and swept the two conference schools from the state known as the “Mother of Presidents” over a three-day period inside Maples Pavilion.

Stanford got off to a TREEmendous start to the game. They hit two three pointers before their Atlantic Coast visitors knew what happened. Freshman forward Donavin Young and junior guard Oziyah Sellers both confidently stroked consecutive Threes immediately after tip off.

Virginia was not cavalier in their attempt to compete with the Cardinal. They performed a 6-0 run and led by as much as three points. There were eight lead changes and two ties during the first 20 minutes of gameplay.

However, the Cardinal responded with another 6-0 run and led as many as 10 points by intermission, and kept the lead for good. That was the halftime margin, due to a runnin 3-pointer at the buzzer by senior guard Jaylen Blakes.

At the half, Stanford maintained a double-digit advantage, 40-30. Maxime Raynaud led both teams with 10 points and 5 rebounds, while junior guard Isaac McKneely paced the Cavs with 9 points.

The Cardinal partially duplicated the beginning of the game, as they did the second Stanza. Sellers opened the final half two with a three to put them up by 13 points. They did not hit two in a row, as they did in the first, but held on to a significant lead throughout the second 20-minute block.

Stanford increased that 13-point lead to as high as 23, but the Cavaliers continued to battle back. They actually got the deficit as low as nine points momentarily, by way of a 7-0 run. Stanford trumped that with a 10-0 run of their own.

After the Cardinal withstood their guest’s best punches, they cruised through the last minutes of the contest to a 23-point victory, 88-65. Stanford is undefeated at home in ACC play, and 3-0 in the Bay Area, including the conference opener at Berkeley against Cal.

Raynaud led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Sellers contributed 15 points, while Blakes added 10 points to the Cardinal’s cause.

McKneely topped Virgina with 22 points and Jacob Cofie tallied 11 points and 5 rebounds.

The Cardinal will next be in action Wednesday, January 11, as they travel to North Carolina to take on Wake Forest at 6:30 ET on ESPNEWS. Virginia heads back to Charlottesville to host SMU on the same date at 9:00 PM ET on the ACC Network.